Number 22 Squadron of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

is an operational testing and evaluation squadron for all the Joint Helicopter Command helicopter types including Chinook, Puma HC2, Merlin HC4,

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

and Wildcat AH1. Formerly the Rotary Wing Operational Evaluation and Training Unit, the highly experienced helicopter aircrew will also ensure frontline crews have Qualified Warfare Instructors to support them on operations worldwide. The squadron was reformed in May 2020 to serve as the Joint Helicopter Command Operational Evaluation Unit. The squadron previously operated the Westland Sea King HAR.3 and HAR.3A at three stations in the southern United Kingdom. It was originally formed in 1915 as an aerial reconnaissance unit of the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

serving on the Western Front during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Becoming part of the Royal Air Force on its formation in 1918, it was disbanded the following year as part of the post-First World War scaling back of the RAF. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the squadron operated in the torpedo bomber role over the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

and then in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

and the Far East. Between 1955 and 2015 the squadron provided military search and rescue over the United Kingdom.

History

1915–19

The squadron was formed at

Fort Grange Fort Grange is one of the Palmerston Forts, in Gosport, England. After Gomer and Elson forts had been approved in 1852, further consideration led to a decision to fill the gap between them by three more forts, and Grange is the most southerly of ...

Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan borough on the south coast of Hampshire, South East England. At the 2011 Census, its population was 82,662. Gosport is situated on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour, opposite t ...

on 1 September 1915 from a nucleus of men and equipment split off from No. 13 Squadron. The squadron trained on a variety of aircraft types, including the

Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2 The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 was a British single-engine tractor two-seat biplane designed and developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. Most of the roughly 3,500 built were constructed under contract by private companies, including establish ...

c, the

Maurice Farman Shorthorn The Maurice Farman MF.11 ''Shorthorn'' is a French aircraft developed before World War I by the Farman Aviation Works. It was used as a reconnaissance and light bomber during the early part of World War I, later being relegated to training duti ...

, the Bleriot XI and the Curtiss JN-3. It received its intended operational type, the

Royal Aircraft Factory FE.2 Between 1911 and 1914, the Royal Aircraft Factory used the F.E.2 (Farman Experimental 2) designation for three quite different aircraft that shared only a common "Farman" pusher biplane layout. The third "F.E.2" type was operated as a day and n ...

b in February 1916, passing 14 BE.2s to 33 Squadron.Halley 1973, p. 11. The squadron moved to France on 1 April 1916, and soon settled down to carrying out reconnaissance missions over the front lines. It flew fighter patrols during the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

in July 1916,Jones 1928, pp. 196, 230. in addition to its normal reconnaissance and photography duties in support of the army.Jones 1928, p. 252. One notable casualty during the Somme was

Auberon Herbert, 9th Baron Lucas Auberon Thomas Herbert, 9th Baron Lucas and 5th Lord Dingwall, PC (25 May 1876 – 3 November 1916), who preferred to be known as Bron Herbert, was a radical British Liberal politician and fighter pilot. He was a member of H. H. Asquith's cabi ...

, the former

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician and cabinet minister, who was wounded when attacked by German fighter aircraft on 3 November 1916, and died of his wounds the same day.Jones 1928, p. 314. From July 1917, the squadron started to replace its FE.2s with faster and more capable

Bristol F.2 Fighter The Bristol F.2 Fighter is a British First World War two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft developed by Frank Barnwell at the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter, ''"Brisfit"'' or ''"Biff"'' ...

s also known as the 'Brisfit', receiving its full complement of 18 aircraft by 24 August. This was in time to allow the squadron to take part in the Battle of the Menin Road Ridge in September 1917.Jones 1934, p. 181. The squadron was heavily deployed during the German spring offensive of 1918, and was forced to change bases due to the German advance,Jones 1934, pp. 299, 312, 324, 327, 382. and later, as the Allies drove the Germans out of France in the

Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allies of World War I, Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (1918), Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Wester ...

, changed bases to keep up with the Allied advances. The squadron moved to

Spich Troisdorf () is a city in the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis (district), in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Troisdorf is located approximately 22 kilometers south of Cologne and 13 kilometers north east of Bonn. Division of the city Troisdorf consi ...

, near

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

in Germany as part of the

British Army of Occupation British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

in March 1919, leaving for home at the end of August that year. After a period as a

cadre Cadre may refer to: *Cadre (military), a group of officers or NCOs around whom a unit is formed, or a training staff *Cadre (politics), a politically controlled appointment to an institution in order to circumvent the state and bring control to th ...

unit (without aircraft) at

RAF Ford HM Prison Ford (informally known as Ford Open Prison) is a Category D men's prison, located at Ford, in West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire di ...

, the squadron formally disbanded on 31 December 1919.Halley 1973, pp. 13, 26.

1923

The squadron's second incarnation was as one of two test squadrons (the other being 15 Squadron) supporting the Aeroplane Experimental Establishment at Martlesham Heath, Suffolk. For 10 years following its reformation on 24 July 1923, the squadron was involved in testing new aircraft before they were accepted for service or sold overseas. The two test squadrons were disbanded on 1 May 1934.Halley 1973, p. 13.

1934–45

The squadron reformed again on 1 May 1934 at

RAF Donibristle RNAS Donibristle is a former Fleet Air Arm base located east of Rosyth, Fife, and northwest of Edinburgh. From 1918 to 1939 the station was called RAF Donibristle. History The following units were posted here at some point: ;Royal Air Force ...

near

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, Scotland in the torpedo bomber role, flying Vickers Vildebeest I

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

s. From March 1935, the squadron began to re-equip with the improved Vildebeest III, with a more powerful engine and carrying an observer as a third crew member.Halley 1973, pp. 13–14. In October 1935, as part of Britain's response to the Abyssinia crisis, the squadron was deployed to Malta, returning to Britain in August 1936 after the threat of war between the United Kingdom and Italy receded. On 14 December 1936, part of the squadron was detached to form 42 Squadron, also equipped with the Vildebeest, while in March 1938, 22 Squadron moved south to

RAF Thorney Island Royal Air Force Thorney Island or more simply RAF Thorney Island is a former Royal Air Force station located on Thorney Island, West Sussex, England, west of Chichester and east of Portsmouth, Hampshire. Station history The airfield was bu ...

.Halley 1973, pp. 14–15. The squadron was still equipped with the Vildebeest when the

broke out in September 1939, with the squadron carrying out anti-submarine patrols over the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

.Halley 1973, p. 15. From November 1939 the squadron started to receive Bristol Beaufort twin-engined

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

s to replace its obsolete biplanes. The Bristol Taurus engines of the Beaufort proved unreliable at first, and the squadron continuing to fly operations with the Vildebeest while converting to the Beaufort. It flew its last operational mission with the Vildebeest on 20 December 1939.Halley 1973, p. 16. The squadron moved to

RAF North Coates RAF North Coates was a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England, six miles south-east of Cleethorpes, and close to the mouth of the Humber estuary. It was an active air station during World War I, and then again from the mid-1920s. Betw ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

on 8 April 1940, flying its first operational sorties from that base on 15 April when nine Beauforts set out to lay mines off the mouth of the River Elbe. In this role, the unit flew sorties over the

from North Coates, Thorney Island,

St Eval St Eval ( kw, S. Uvel) is a civil parish and hamlet in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The hamlet is about four miles (6.5 km) southwest of Padstow. The parish population at the 2011 census was 960. Much of the village land was ac ...

and

Portreath Portreath ( kw, Porthtreth or ) is a civil parish, village and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is about three miles (5 km) northwest of Redruth. The village extends along both sides of a str ...

. In April 1941, a pilot of the unit, F/O Kenneth Campbell, was posthumously awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

for a daring attack on the in

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress *Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria *Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France **Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Brest, ...

harbour. In 1942, the unit was posted to

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

before being moved to South East Asia, where it converted to the

Bristol Beaufighter The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter (often called the Beau) is a British multi-role aircraft developed during the Second World War by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was originally conceived as a heavy fighter variant of the Bristol Beaufort ...

. No. 22 Squadron continued its anti-shipping role, this time using rockets. The squadron disbanded for the third time a month after war's end.

Search and rescue (1955–2015)

Sycamore years

Reformed again in February 1955 with the Bristol Sycamore HC.12 at

, the squadron took on the Search and Rescue role with this helicopter until the

Westland Whirlwind Westland or Westlands may refer to: Places *Westlands, an affluent neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi, Kenya * Westlands, Staffordshire, a suburban area and ward in Newcastle-under-Lyme *Westland, a peninsula of the Shetland Mainland near Vaila, ...

replaced it in June 1955. The squadron performed military search and rescue until it was handed over to the Maritime & Coastguard Agency and Bristow Helicopters in October 2015.

Whirlwind years

The squadron was initially equipped with

HAR.2s until August 1962, these were later replaced by the Whirlwind HAR.10s from August 1962. The squadron was based at

. June 1955 - June 1956 - HQ at RAF Thorney Island * Unknown Flight - RAF Valley, Anglesey * Unknown Flight -

RAF Felixstowe Royal Air Force Felixstowe, or more simply RAF Felixstowe, is a former Royal Air Force station located northeast of Harwich, Essex, England and southeast of Ipswich, Suffolk. History Felixstowe was commissioned 5 August 1913 under the comm ...

, Suffolk * Unknown Flight -

RAF Martlesham Heath Royal Air Force Martlesham Heath or more simply RAF Martlesham Heath is a former Royal Air Force station located southwest of Woodbridge, Suffolk, England. It was active between 1917 and 1963, and played an important role in the development of ...

, Suffolk June 1956 - April 1974 - HQ at RAF St Mawgan, Cornwall * Unknown Flight -

RAF Chivenor Royal Air Force Chivenor or RAF Chivenor was a Royal Air Force station located on the northern shore of the River Taw estuary, on the north coast of Devon, England. The nearest towns are Barnstaple and Braunton. Originally a civil airfield opene ...

, Devon * Unknown Flight - RAF Felixstowe, Suffolk * Unknown Flight - RAF Tangmere, West Sussex * Unknown Flight - RAF Thorney Island, West Sussex * Unknown Flight - RAF Valley, Anglesey * Unknown Flight - RAF Manston, Kent * Unknown Flight - RAF Coltishall, Norfolk April 1974 - January 1976 - HQ at RAF Thorney Island * Unknown Flight - RAF Valley, Anglesey * Unknown Flight - RAF Chivenor, Devon * B flight - RAF Coltishall, Norfolk * Unknown Flight -

RAF Brawdy RAF Brawdy is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located east of St Davids, Pembrokeshire and south west of Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, Wales. It was operational between 1944 and 1992 being used by both the Royal Air Force and the Royal N ...

, Pembrokeshire January 1976 - June 1976 - HQ at

RAF Finningley Royal Air Force Finningley or RAF Finningley was a Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force station at Finningley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The station straddled the historic county boundaries of both ...

* Unknown Flight - RAF Valley, Anglesey * Unknown Flight - RAF Chivenor, Devon * Unknown Flight - RAF Brawdy, Pembrokeshire * Unknown Flight -

RAF Leuchars Royal Air Force Leuchars or RAF Leuchars was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. Throughout the Cold War and beyond, the station was home to fighter aircraft which policed northern UK airspac ...

, Fife * Unknown Flight - RAF Manston, Kent * Unknown Flight - RAF Leconfield, East Riding of Yorkshire

Wessex years

The squadron was re-equipped with

Westland Wessex The Westland Wessex is a British-built turbine-powered development of the Sikorsky H-34 (in US service known as Choctaw). It was developed and produced under licence by Westland Aircraft (later Westland Helicopters). One of the main changes ...

's from June 1976 its headquarters were at

and had flights at: *'A' Flight –

, Devon *'B' Flight –

, Fife (stood down 1 April 1993) *'C' Flight – RAF Valley, Anglesey *'D' Flight – RAF Leconfield, East Riding of Yorkshire *'E' Flight – RAF Manston, Kent and RAF Coltishall, Norfolk (stood down 21 July 1994)

Sea King years

Finally, in the mid-1990s, the squadron received six newly built

Westland Sea King The Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. The aircraft differs considerably from the American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome engin ...

HAR.3A to supplement the Sea King HAR.3 aircraft which replaced the Wessex aircraft. The squadron HQ was co-located with the SAR Force HQ at RAF Valley on Anglesey, Wales. Detachments of at least two aircraft operated from three stations providing search and rescue cover in those parts of the country; these were: *'A' Flight –

RMB Chivenor Royal Marines Barracks Chivenor is a British military base used primarily by 3 Commando Brigade. It is situated on the northern shore of the River Taw estuary, adjacent to the South West Coast Path, on the north coast of Devon, England. The near ...

, Devon *'B' Flight –

RAF Wattisham Royal Air Force Station Wattisham or more simply RAF Wattisham is a former Royal Air Force station located in East Anglia just outside the village of Wattisham, south of Stowmarket in Suffolk, England. During the Cold War it was a major front- ...

, Suffolk *'C' Flight – RAF Valley, Anglesey *'D' Flight - RAF Lossiemouth, Moray A and B Flights operated the Sea King HAR.3A. C Flight shared a pool nominally of five Sea King HAR.3 aircraft with 203 (R) Sqn, the Operational Conversion Unit.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educat ...

served in the squadron from 2010 to 2013. At the end of 2015, the squadron was stood down and the Sea Kings disposed of when RAF Search and Rescue's responsibilities were handed over to a civilian contractor Bristow. In July 2015, C Flight stood down with A Flight following on 5 October 2015.

Notable rescues

*On 11 November 1962, the FV ''Jeanne Gougy'' ran aground and capsized at Land's End, Cornwall. Eight of her twenty crew were rescued by helicopter or

breeches buoy A breeches buoy is a rope-based rescue device used to extract people from wrecked vessels, or to transfer people from one place to another in situations of danger. The device resembles a round emergency personal flotation device with a leg harn ...

. Sergeant Eric Smith was awarded a

George Medal The George Medal (GM), instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI,''British Gallantry Medals'' (Abbott and Tamplin), p. 138 is a decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, awarded for gallantry, typically by civilians, or in circ ...

for his actions. *

Boscastle flood of 2004 The 2004 Boscastle flood ( kw, An Lanwes Kastel Boterel 2004) occurred on Monday, 16 August 2004 in the two villages of Boscastle and Crackington Haven in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The villages suffered extensive damage after flash f ...

– The Boscastle flood of 2004 occurred on Monday, 16 August 2004 in the villages of Boscastle and

Crackington Haven Crackington Haven ( kw, Porthkragen, meaning "sandstone cove") is a coastal village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is in the civil parish of St Gennys at at the head of a cove on the Atlantic coast. The village is seven miles (11& ...

in Cornwall. The villages suffered extensive damage after flash floods caused by an exceptional amount of rain that fell over the course of eight hours that afternoon. Two Sea Kings from A-Flight at RMB Chivenor, Rescue's 169 and 170, were called and help to rescue some of the 100 people who were airlifted out.

Test and evaluation (2020–present)

No. 22 Squadron reformed on 14 May 2020 at RAF Benson,

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, as the

Operational Evaluation Unit An Operational Evaluation Unit is a type of "reserve" squadron of the Royal Air Force. OEU squadrons are tasked with evaluating an aircraft's weapons, systems and performance. This is to either assist in bringing the aircraft to an operational ca ...

for the Joint Helicopter Command.

Honours and awards

In addition to the battle honours listed above (which are emblazoned on the Squadron Standard), the squadron has been granted the following battle honours: Cambrai 1917, Somme 1918, Lys, Amiens, France and Low Countries 1940, Invasion Ports 1940, Biscay Ports 1940–1941. Flying Officer Kenneth Campbell was posthumously awarded the

for executing a torpedo attack on the in

harbour. Despite atrocious weather having prevented the other aircraft in the mission from reaching the harbour and, with virtually no chance of pulling out of the harbour, Campbell pressed home his attack and badly damaged the ship, being shot down in the process. He and his crew were buried with full military honours by the Germans in the cemetery at Brest.

In popular culture

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

br>"Helicopter Rescue"
broadcast in February 2012.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * *Halley, James J. ''Famous Maritime Squadrons of the RAF, Volume 1''. Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Hylton Lacy Publishers Ltd., 1973. . *Halley, James J. ''The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. . *Harvey, William Frederick James. Pi' in the Sky: History of No.22 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps and R.A.F.in the War of 1914–18''. Colin Huston, 1971. . * * *Jones, H.A
"The War in the Air: Being the Story of the Part Played by the Royal Air Force in the Great War: Vol. II"
History of the Great War. Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1928. *Jones, H.A
"The War in the Air: Being the Story of the Part Played by the Royal Air Force in the Great War: Vol. IV"
History of the Great War. Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1934. *Moyes, Philip J.R. ''Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft''. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1964 (new edition 1976). . *Rawlings, John D.R. ''Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft''. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd., 1982. . *Rawlings, John D.R. ''Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft''. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1969 (new edition 1976, reprinted 1978). .

External links

* * * * {{Royal Air Force 022 Squadron No. 22 Military units and formations established in 1915 Rescue aviation Air force reconnaissance units and formations Military of Hong Kong under British rule 1915 establishments in the United Kingdom